Associate Professor Mark Masia

Career Summary

Biography

Since completing my PhD in 2000, I have worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at The University of Calgary, Canada (2000-2001) and then as a Lecturer and Senior Lecturer in the School of Engineering, The University of Newcastle (2001 - present). During both of these appointments my research has addressed the areas of structural behaviour of unreinforced masonry construction and the strengthening/retrofitting of existing unreinforced masonry and reinforced concrete structures.

An experimental study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of strengthening unreinforced-masonry (URM) shear panels with near surface-mounted (NSM) fiber-reinforced polymer (... [more]

An experimental study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of strengthening unreinforced-masonry (URM) shear panels with near surface-mounted (NSM) fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) strips. A total of 23 wall panels (5 URM and 18 reinforced) were subjected to vertical precompression combined with either monotonic or increasing reversing cycles of in-plane lateral displacement under fixed-fixed boundary conditions. Two wall aspect ratios (height/length) and six different reinforcement schemes were tested. The experimental program was designed to produce diagonal cracking in the URM specimens and hence investigate the effectiveness of the various reinforcement schemes in controlling this failure mode. This was achieved for the aspect ratio 1 wall panels. The study revealed that the FRP strengthening was effective in improving the ultimate load, displacement capacity, ductility, and energy dissipation compared with the URM response. For the aspect ratio 0.5 panels, base sliding failures dominated the experimental program, making it difficult to fully assess the effectiveness of the various reinforcing schemes.

Variability of Unit Flexural Bond Strength and its Effect on Strength in Clay Brick Unreinforced Masonry Walls Subject to Vertical BendingCivil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built EnvironmentCo-Supervisor